Egypt's House Speaker, Deputies Receive AfCFTA Secretary-General

Hanafi Gibali, Speaker of the House of Representatives received on Tuesday Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in the presence of Deputy speakers Mohamed Abou El-Enein and Ahmed Saad Eddin.

At the outset of the meeting, Gibali expressed his appreciation to the Secretary General for his keenness to visit Egypt on his first foreign tour, pointing out that the state attaches great importance to the free trade agreement, which is expected to promote economic and trade integration within the African continent.

The Speaker of the House  noted in this regard that Egypt was one of the first countries to sign and ratify the agreement, as it was issued under the Egyptian presidency of the African Union, which reflects the Egyptian will and eagerness  to deepen the African continental integration.

He also called on the Secretary-General to exert his utmost efforts in the coming period, and to encourage the rest of the African countries to ratify the agreement, expressing Egypt's interest in playing a pivotal role in building the capabilities of African countries in this field, based on Egyptian expertise in regional and international trade.

On his part, Mene expressed his appreciation for the warm reception since the start of his official visit to Egypt, expressing his aspiration to maximize cooperation between Egypt and the AfCFTA countries in light of Egypt's pioneering role in the African continent.